The expectations for Michigan football quarterback Bryce Underwood were through the roof in 2025.
Much of that came from his ranking, coming into Ann Arbor as the No. 1 high school product in the nation. Some of it came from his own doing — like going on Big Ten Network last August and proclaiming “nobody has seen a freshman like me.”
The talented signal-caller did not live up to the hype in Year 1. Not only as a team — Michigan went 9-4 and missed the College Football Playoff for the second straight season — but individually, where Underwood completed just 60.3% of his passes for 2,428 yards with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Now with a year under his belt, Underwood kept it simple when asked what he expects going into year two.
“Better than Year 1,” he told reporters at Saline High School on Saturday, June 20, where he hosted a youth football camp. “That’s really all I can say.”
Underwood has been taking the steps behind the scenes to make it happen. He didn’t explain exactly how he got connected, but he made sure to get in contact with Jordan Palmer, a California-based QB guru, where he’s gone for multiple training sessions.
The Belleville native called Palmer one of the “best trainers around the country” and said it’s been a “blessing” to get to work with him. He says his focus this summer has been simple − training, spending time with family and jelling with teammates − but he’s already learning new lessons, much of which isn’t as much focused on the physical side, but mental.
“How to simplify the game for myself, how easy I can make the game,” he said. “[Focusing on] the consistency in everything I have going on, so that was really my main focus this offseason.”
Underwood also acknowledged Year 1 wasn’t what he expected it would be. He went 50-4 at Belleville, led the Tigers to their first undefeated season in school history (2023), was Gatorade National Player of the Year that season and MaxPreps National Freshman (2021) and Sophomore (2022) of the Year the two years prior.
There had been very few learning lessons or moments of failure, but the Big Ten proved to be a different animal. While his physical tools are widely considered enough to be a solid player − or even elite − Underwood said there were more cerebral requirements than what he expected.
“How much the mental aspect of the game really matters,” Underwood said of what he learned. “How mentally stable you [have] to be, how mentally strengthened.”
Recently, new head coach Kyle Whittingham told the Free Press he felt like Underwood had a “pretty tough situation” in his first season. Much of that was due to not having a dedicated position coach on staff, which is a major reason Whittingham hired Koy Detmer Jr. to lead the quarterbacks room in Ann Arbor.
Underwood says the relationship is already off to a good start.
“That’s my guy,” he said of Detmer. “We talk every single day, how we can be better as a player and coach and how we’re going to produce on the field.”
While Underwood’s offseason has been focused on improvement, it hasn’t been without headlines. Recently, former NFL All-Pro safety Eric Weddle made waves when he said he didn’t think Underwood “could throw or play quarterback” and told people to “mark [his] words” that one of U-M’s backups may see the field “early.”
Underwood didn’t want to put any stock into the comments, but instead looked forward to the season opener.
“I mean, Game 1 is September 5,” he said. “I’ll let that speak. … I’m not putting no energy toward one person.”
For the most part, Underwood seemed to be a bit more intentional with his remarks than this time a year ago. Prior to playing in college, he talked about winning national championships, a Heisman Trophy and while walking around Cedar Point amusement park said “I can run all of Ohio” in a now-viral video.
This time he said a realistic expectation for this season as a team is”winning,” and his individual goals are “whatever my team needs to win.” After the response, he was asked if he needed to tone down his rhetoric.
“I mean, no matter what, I stand by what I said then,” he said. “It’s over now, time to move forward with that.”
As a household name in the state for a handful of years, the still-18-year-old knows he has room to grow. He says this year is about working “smarter” and raved about the new staff.
He says he thinks the transition has been “for the better” and added he feels like the team is “more prepared” while also adding the team is player-led and “player-driven”. It’s a big year for the Wolverines, who will always be a national brand but want to get back to the top of the national landscape.
It’s also a big year for Underwood, who wants the same for himself.
“I want to prove to myself that I am what I think,” he said. “I feel like I’m the best player to ever come out of Michigan … because I worked for it.”
Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan QB Bryce Underwood on Year 1’s challenges and what’s next
Reporting by Tony Garcia, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Tony Garcia, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
